Adaptive bitrate streaming techniques

ABSTRACT

A processing system including at least one processor may request, from an edge server, a plurality of video chunks for a plurality of segments of a video program to fill a video buffer, where the plurality of video chunks is encoded at a startup bitrate comprising a second lowest available bitrate of a plurality of available bitrates in accordance with an adaptive bitrate streaming protocol. The processing system may further receive, from the edge server, the plurality of video chunks, write the plurality of video chunks to the video buffer, and play out the plurality of video chunks from the video buffer when an occupancy level of the video buffer exceeds a threshold. In addition, the processing system may select a next video chunk for a next segment of the video program after the plurality of segments in accordance with a mapping function.

The present disclosure relates generally to adaptive bitrate streamingvideo programs, and more particularly to devices, non-transitorycomputer-readable media, and methods for providing a timeout for anadaptive bitrate streaming video chunk download, increasing a bufferoccupancy threshold of an adaptive bitrate streaming mapping function,and for filling an adaptive bitrate streaming video buffer for live orrecorded video streaming.

BACKGROUND

Video delivery technology has shifted from connection-oriented videotransport protocols such as Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) and RealTime Streaming Protocol (RTSP) to connectionless, e.g., HypertextTransfer Protocol (HTTP)-based, adaptive streaming protocols, such asMoving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP(DASH). A common feature of HTTP-based adaptive streaming protocols isthe storage and delivery of a video program in multiple files (chunks)associated with segments of the video program and having differentencoding bitrates, with the files linked together by a manifest file, or“index file” that defines all of the segments, and the available videochunks for the segments of the video program.

SUMMARY

In one example, the present disclosure describes a device,computer-readable medium and method for filling an adaptive bitratestreaming video buffer for recorded video streaming. For instance, inone example, a processing system including at least one processor mayrequest, from an edge server, a plurality of video chunks for aplurality of segments of a video program to fill a video buffer, wherethe plurality of video chunks is encoded at a startup bitrate comprisinga second lowest available bitrate of a plurality of available bitratesin accordance with an adaptive bitrate streaming protocol. Theprocessing system may further receive, from the edge server, theplurality of video chunks, write the plurality of video chunks to thevideo buffer, and play out the plurality of video chunks from the videobuffer when an occupancy level of the video buffer exceeds a threshold.In addition, the processing system may select a next video chunk for anext segment of the video program after the plurality of segments inaccordance with a mapping function.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The teachings of the present disclosure can be readily understood byconsidering the following detailed description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network related to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example mapping function with buffer offset inaccordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example process of a main mappingto decide a next variant based on a buffer occupancy level;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a process for a timeout function;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for providing atimeout for an adaptive bitrate streaming video chunk download;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for increasing abuffer occupancy threshold of an adaptive bitrate streaming mappingfunction;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for filling anadaptive bitrate streaming video buffer for live video streaming;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for filling anadaptive bitrate streaming video buffer for recorded video streaming;and

FIG. 9 illustrates a high level block diagram of a computing devicespecifically programmed to perform the steps, functions, blocks and/oroperations described herein.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A variety of factors may affect users' quality of experience for videostreaming. These include video stalls as well as long latency and poorvideo/audio quality. Examples of the present disclosure relate to clientside adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming. In particular, in one example, amain mapping function uses a current video buffer level to decide thenext variant based on a linear function between bitrate and bufferoccupancy level. The main mapping function is qualified by threeadditional functions referred to herein as a time-out function, a bufferoffset function, and a startup function which use capacity estimationfor selecting the next variant. Examples of the present disclosure haveoutperformed other client side systems across a variety of metricsincluding re-buffering ratio (including video pauses), average displayedbitrate, video startup time, and network data consumed.

Video delivery technology has shifted from connection-oriented videotransport protocols such as Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) and RealTime Streaming Protocol (RTSP) to connectionless, e.g., HypertextTransfer Protocol (HTTP)-based, adaptive streaming protocols, such asMoving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP(DASH). A common feature of HTTP-based adaptive streaming protocols isthe storage and delivery of a video program in multiple files (chunks)associated with segments of the video program and having differentencoding bitrates, with the files linked together by a manifest file, or“index file” that defines all of the segments, and the available videochunks (variants) for the segments of the video program.

Adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming over HTTP is widely adopted since itoffers significant advantages in terms of both user-perceived qualityand resource utilization for content and network service providers.Unlike video downloads that must complete fully before playback canbegin, streaming video starts playing within seconds. With ABR-basedstreaming, each video is encoded at a number of different rates (calledvariants) and stored on servers as separate files. A video clientrunning on a mobile device, home television, game console, web browser,etc. chooses which video rate to stream by monitoring network conditionsand estimating the available network capacity.

The function of the ABR algorithm is to select ABR variants (calledrepresentations in DASH) in real time to maximize video quality andminimize re-buffering events. Typically, a video client maintains amedia cache (also referred to as a “buffer” or “video buffer”), bypre-fetching video chunks, then playback occurs from the cache. For eachtime segment of a video-on-demand (VoD) program/live channel, the videoclient selects which variant (chunk) of that time segment to downloadinto the cache. Higher quality variants for a given segment are largerin size (data volume) and take longer to download than lower qualityvariants. In general, the goal is to download as high quality a variantas possible each time while keeping the buffer from going empty.

One approach to variant selection is channel capacity estimation, whichuses media segment download time as an estimate of available channelbitrate. The video client selects a variant that most closely matchesthe channel bitrate without exceeding it. In an environment wherethroughput is highly variable, such as a mobile network, accurateestimation of future channel capacity is challenging. Another approachuses a current buffer level, instead of estimated channel bandwidth, toselect the variant. As with capacity estimation, the objective is tobalance the flow of data into the buffer with the outflow, to keep thebuffer from going empty or overflowing. Unlike with channel capacityestimation, for buffer occupancy-based approach, the actual buffer levelis used to select the next variant, e.g., with a linear, orapproximately linear, mapping function. The higher the current bufferlevel, the higher the variant bitrate selected for the next segment, andvice versa: the lower the buffer level, the lower the variant bitrateselected. This ensures conservative behavior, e.g., selecting minimumquality/variant size, when the buffer is low and aggressive behavior,e.g., selecting maximum quality/variant size, when the buffer is full ornearly so.

The buffer occupancy-based approach is motivated by the highly variablechannel throughput experienced by mobile devices, which makes accuratecapacity estimation difficult. The buffer level can be considered a morereliable estimator of channel capacity than an instantaneous measurementfrom a video chunk download. For instance, it may be assumed that agiven buffer occupancy level is only reached with sustained availabilityof a certain channel bitrate. Said another way, the buffer could nothave filled up to given level if the available channel bitrate were notsufficient to fill it to such level.

As mentioned above, in one example, the present disclosure features amain mapping function that uses a current video buffer level to decidethe next variant based on a linear function between bitrate and bufferoccupancy level. In addition, in one example, the main mapping functionis qualified by any one or more additional functions referred to hereinas a time-out function, a buffer offset function, and a startupfunction. In one example, VoD and live streaming have different buffersizes and segment sizes. Accordingly, examples of present disclosure areseparately tailored to VoD and live stream applications. In one example,a video may automatically detect the type of stream (VoD or live) andapply the correct version. It should also be noted that althoughexamples of the present disclosure are described primarily in connectionwith a video client and video streaming, examples of the presentdisclosure may be similarly applied to other types of streaming media,such as adaptive bitrate streaming audio. These and other aspects of thepresent disclosure are described in greater detail below in connectionwith the examples of FIGS. 1-9.

To better understand the present disclosure, FIG. 1 illustrates anexample network 100, related to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG.1, the network 100 connects mobile devices 157A, 157B, 167A and 167B,and home network devices such as home gateway 161, set-top boxes (STBs)162A and 162B, television (TV) 163A and TV 163B, home phone 164, router165, personal computer (PC) 166, and so forth, with one another and withvarious other devices via a core network 110, a wireless access network150 (e.g., a cellular network), an access network 120, other networks140, content distribution network (CDN) 170, and/or the Internet ingeneral. For instance, connections between core network 110, accessnetwork 120, home network 160, CDN 170, wireless access network 150 andother networks 140 may comprise the Internet in general, internal linksunder the control of single telecommunication service provider network,links between peer networks, and so forth.

In one example, wireless access network 150 may comprise a radio accessnetwork implementing such technologies as: Global System for MobileCommunication (GSM), e.g., a Base Station Subsystem (BSS), or IS-95, aUniversal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network employingWideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), or a CDMA3000 network,among others. In other words, wireless access network 150 may comprisean access network in accordance with any “second generation” (2G),“third generation” (3G), “fourth generation” (4G), Long Term Evolution(LTE), “fifth generation” (5G) or any other yet to be developed futurewireless/cellular network technology. While the present disclosure isnot limited to any particular type of wireless access network, in theillustrative example, wireless access network 150 is shown as a UMTSterrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) subsystem. Thus, elements 152and 153 may each comprise a Node B or evolved Node B (eNodeB). In oneexample, wireless access network 150 may be controlled and/or operatedby a same entity as core network 110.

In one example, each of the mobile devices 157A, 157B, 167A, and 167Bmay comprise any subscriber/customer endpoint device configured forwireless communication such as a laptop computer, a Wi-Fi device, aPersonal Digital Assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a smartphone, an emaildevice, a computing tablet, a messaging device, and the like. In oneexample, any one or more of mobile devices 157A, 157B, 167A, and 167Bmay have both cellular and non-cellular access capabilities and mayfurther have wired communication and networking capabilities.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, network 100 includes a core network 110. Inone example, core network 110 may combine core network components of acellular network with components of a triple play service network; wheretriple play services include telephone services, Internet services andtelevision services to subscribers. For example, core network 110 mayfunctionally comprise a fixed mobile convergence (FMC) network, e.g., anIP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network. In addition, core network 110 mayfunctionally comprise a telephony network, e.g., an InternetProtocol/Multi-Protocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) backbone networkutilizing Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for circuit-switched andVoice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony services. Core network 110may also further comprise a broadcast television network, e.g., atraditional cable provider network or an Internet Protocol Television(IPTV) network, as well as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network.The network elements 111A-111D may serve as gateway servers or edgerouters to interconnect the core network 110 with other networks 140,wireless access network 150, access network 120, and so forth. As shownin FIG. 1, core network 110 may also include a plurality of television(TV) servers 112, and a plurality of application servers 114. For easeof illustration, various additional elements of core network 110 areomitted from FIG. 1.

With respect to television service provider functions, core network 110may include one or more television servers 112 for the delivery oftelevision content, e.g., a broadcast server, a cable head-end, and soforth. For example, core network 110 may comprise a video super huboffice, a video hub office and/or a service office/central office. Inthis regard, television servers 112 may include content server(s) tostore scheduled television broadcast content for a number of televisionchannels, video-on-demand (VoD) programming, local programming content,and so forth. Alternatively, or in addition, content providers maystream various contents to the core network 110 for distribution tovarious subscribers, e.g., for live content, such as news programming,sporting events, and the like. Television servers 112 may also includeadvertising server(s) to store a number of advertisements that can beselected for presentation to viewers, e.g., in the home network 160 andat other downstream viewing locations. For example, advertisers mayupload various advertising content to the core network 110 to bedistributed to various viewers. Television servers 112 may also includeinteractive TV/video-on-demand (VoD) server(s), as described in greaterdetail below.

In one example, the access network 120 may comprise a Digital SubscriberLine (DSL) network, a broadband cable access network, a Local AreaNetwork (LAN), a cellular or wireless access network, a 3^(rd) partynetwork, and the like. For example, the operator of core network 110 mayprovide a cable television service, an IPTV service, or any other typesof television service to subscribers via access network 120. In thisregard, access network 120 may include a node 122, e.g., a mini-fibernode (MFN), a video-ready access device (VRAD) or the like. However, inanother example, node 122 may be omitted, e.g., forfiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) installations. Access network 120 may alsotransmit and receive communications between home network 160 and corenetwork 110 relating to voice telephone calls, communications with webservers via other networks 140, content distribution network (CDN) 170and/or the Internet in general, and so forth. In another example, accessnetwork 120 may be operated by a different entity from core network 110,e.g., an Internet service provider (ISP) network.

Alternatively, or in addition, the network 100 may provide televisionservices to home network 160 via satellite broadcast. For instance,ground station 130 may receive television content from televisionservers 112 for uplink transmission to satellite 135. Accordingly,satellite 135 may receive television content from ground station 130 andmay broadcast the television content to satellite receiver 139, e.g., asatellite link terrestrial antenna (including satellite dishes andantennas for downlink communications, or for both downlink and uplinkcommunications), as well as to satellite receivers of other subscriberswithin a coverage area of satellite 135. In one example, satellite 135may be controlled and/or operated by a same network service provider asthe core network 110. In another example, satellite 135 may becontrolled and/or operated by a different entity and may carrytelevision broadcast signals on behalf of the core network 110.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, core network 110 may include variousapplication servers 114. For instance, application servers 114 may beimplemented to provide certain functions or features, e.g., aServing-Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF), a Proxy-Call SessionControl Function (P-CSCF), or an Interrogating-Call Session ControlFunction (I-CSCF), one or more billing servers for billing one or moreservices, including cellular data and telephony services, wire-linephone services, Internet access services, and television services.Application servers 114 may also include a Home Subscriber Server/HomeLocation Register (HSS/HLR) for tracking cellular subscriber devicelocation and other functions. An HSS refers to a network elementresiding in the control plane of an IMS network that acts as a centralrepository of all customer specific authorizations, service profiles,preferences, etc. Application servers 114 may also include an IMS mediaserver (MS) for handling and terminating media streams to provideservices such as announcements, bridges, and Interactive Voice Response(IVR) messages for VoIP and cellular service applications. The MS mayalso interact with customers for media session management. In addition,application servers 114 may also include a presence server, e.g., fordetecting a presence of a user. For example, the presence server maydetermine the physical location of a user or whether the user is“present” for the purpose of a subscribed service, e.g., online for achatting service and the like. In one example, application servers 114may include data storage servers to receive and store manifest filesregarding adaptive bitrate streaming video programs maintained within TVservers 112 and/or available to subscribers of core network 110 andstored in server(s) 149 in other networks 140. It should be noted thatthe foregoing are only several examples of the types of relevantapplication servers 114 that may be included in core network 110 forstoring information relevant to providing various services tosubscribers.

In accordance with the present disclosure, other networks 140 andservers 149 may comprise networks and devices of various contentproviders of adaptive bitrate streaming video programs. In one example,each of servers 149 may also make available manifest files whichdescribe the segments and/or video chunks of various video programsstored on the respective one of the servers 149. In particular, asegment may comprise a portion of a video program, such as a 2-10 secondportion, for example. A video chunk (also referred to as a variant, or a“bitrate variant”) may comprise an actual data file containing videoand/or audio for a segment that is encoded at a particular bitrate. Forinstance, there may be several video chunks containing video and audiofor the same segment of the video program, but which are encoded atdifferent bitrates in accordance with an adaptive bitrate streamingprotocol. Thus, an adaptive bitrate streaming video player may requestand obtain any one of the different video chunks for a segment, e.g.,depending upon a state of a video buffer of the adaptive bitratestreaming video player, depending upon network conditions, dependingupon the access rights of the adaptive bitrate streaming video player todifferent encoding bitrates according to a subscription plan and/or forthe particular video program, and so forth.

In one example, home network 160 may include a home gateway 161, whichreceives data/communications associated with different types of media,e.g., television, phone, and Internet, and separates thesecommunications for the appropriate devices. The data/communications maybe received via access network 120 and/or via satellite receiver 139,for instance. In one example, television data is forwarded to set-topboxes (STBs)/digital video recorders (DVRs) 162A and 162B to be decoded,recorded, and/or forwarded to television (TV) 163A and TV 163B forpresentation. Similarly, telephone data is sent to and received fromhome phone 164; Internet communications are sent to and received fromrouter 165, which may be capable of both wired and/or wirelesscommunication. In turn, router 165 receives data from and sends data tothe appropriate devices, e.g., personal computer (PC) 166, mobiledevices 167A, and 167B, and so forth. In one example, router 165 mayfurther communicate with TV (broadly a display) 163A and/or 163B, e.g.,where one or both of the televisions is a smart TV. In one example,router 165 may comprise a wired Ethernet router and/or an Institute forElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi) router, andmay communicate with respective devices in home network 160 via wiredand/or wireless connections.

In one example, one or both of the STB/DVR 162A and STB/DVR 162B maycomprise all or a portion of a computing device or system, such ascomputing system 900, and/or processing system 902 as described inconnection with FIG. 9 below, specifically configured to perform varioussteps, functions, and/or operations for providing a timeout for anadaptive bitrate streaming video chunk download, increasing a bufferoccupancy threshold of an adaptive bitrate streaming mapping function,and/or for filling an adaptive bitrate streaming video buffer for liveor recorded video streaming. Among other functions, STB/DVR 162A andSTB/DVR 162B may comprise adaptive bitrate streaming video playerscapable of playing adaptive bitrate streaming video programs in formatssuch as Moving Picture Expert Group (MPEG) .mpeg files, .mov files, .mp4files, .3gp files, .f4f files, .m3u8 files, or the like. A flowchart ofan example method of providing a timeout for an adaptive bitratestreaming video chunk download is illustrated in FIG. 5 and described ingreater detail below. A flowchart of an example method of increasing abuffer occupancy threshold of an adaptive bitrate streaming mappingfunction is illustrated in FIG. 6 and described in greater detail below.A flowchart of an example method of filling an adaptive bitratestreaming video buffer for live video streaming is illustrated in FIG. 7and described in greater detail below. A flowchart of an example methodof filling an adaptive bitrate streaming video buffer for recorded videostreaming is illustrated in FIG. 8 and described in greater detailbelow. Although STB/DVR 162A and STB/DVR 162B are illustrated anddescribed as integrated devices with both STB and DVR functions, inother, further, and different examples, STB/DVR 162A and/or STB/DVR 162Bmay comprise separate STB and DVR devices.

It should be noted that in one example, another device may provide oneor more operations or functions for providing a timeout for an adaptivebitrate streaming video chunk download, increasing a buffer occupancythreshold of an adaptive bitrate streaming mapping function, and/or forfilling an adaptive bitrate streaming video buffer for live or recordedvideo streaming, as described herein, and may comprise an adaptivebitrate streaming video player capable of playing adaptive bitratestreaming video programs. For instance, one or more of mobile devices157A, 157B, 167A and 167B, and/or PC 166 may also comprise all or aportion of a computing device or system, such as computing system 900,and/or processing system 902 as described in connection with FIG. 9below, specifically configured to perform various steps, functions,and/or operations for providing a timeout for an adaptive bitratestreaming video chunk download, increasing a buffer occupancy thresholdof an adaptive bitrate streaming mapping function, and/or for filling anadaptive bitrate streaming video buffer for live or recorded videostreaming, as described herein.

In addition, it should be noted that as used herein, the terms“configure,” and “reconfigure” may refer to programming or loading aprocessing system with computer-readable/computer-executableinstructions, code, and/or programs, e.g., in a distributed ornon-distributed memory, which when executed by a processor, orprocessors, of the processing system within a same device or withindistributed devices, may cause the processing system to perform variousfunctions. Such terms may also encompass providing variables, datavalues, tables, objects, or other data structures or the like which maycause a processing system executing computer-readable instructions,code, and/or programs to function differently depending upon the valuesof the variables or other data structures that are provided. As referredto herein a “processing system” may comprise a computing deviceincluding one or more processors, or cores (e.g., as illustrated in FIG.9 and discussed below) or multiple computing devices collectivelyconfigured to perform various steps, functions, and/or operations inaccordance with the present disclosure.

Network 100 may also include a content distribution network (CDN) 170.In one example, CDN 170 may be operated by a different entity from corenetwork 110. In another example, CDN 170 may be operated by a sameentity as core network 110, e.g., a telecommunication service provider.In one example, the CDN 170 may comprise a collection of cache serversdistributed across a large geographical area and organized in a tierstructure. The first tier may comprise a group of servers that accesscontent web servers (origin servers) to pull content into the CDN 170,referred to as an ingestion servers, e.g., ingest server 172. Thecontent may include video programs, content of various webpages,electronic documents, video games, etc. A last tier may comprise cacheservers which deliver content to end user, referred to as edge caches,or edge servers, e.g., edge server 174. For ease of illustration, asingle ingest server 172 and a single edge server 174 are shown inFIG. 1. In between the ingest server 172 and edge server 174, there maybe several layers of servers (omitted from the illustrations), referredto as the middle tier. In one example, the edge server 174 may bemulti-tenant, serving multiple content providers, such as core network110, content providers associated with server(s) 149 in other network(s)140, and so forth. In one example, edge server 174 may comprise anadaptive bitrate streaming video server. In addition, in one example,edge server 174 may comprise all or a portion of a computing device orsystem, such as computing system 900, and/or processing system 902 asdescribed in connection with FIG. 9 below, specifically configured toperform various steps, functions, and/or operations in connection withproviding a timeout for an adaptive bitrate streaming video chunkdownload, increasing a buffer occupancy threshold of an adaptive bitratestreaming mapping function, and/or for filling an adaptive bitratestreaming video buffer for live or recorded video streaming.

As mentioned above, TV servers 112 in core network 110 may also includeone or more interactive TV/video-on-demand (VoD) servers. In oneexample, an interactive TV/VoD server may comprise all or a portion of acomputing device or system, such as computing system 900, and/orprocessing system 902 as described in connection with FIG. 9 below,specifically configured to perform various steps, functions, and/oroperations in connection with providing a timeout for an adaptivebitrate streaming video chunk download, increasing a buffer occupancythreshold of an adaptive bitrate streaming mapping function, and/or forfilling an adaptive bitrate streaming video buffer for live or recordedvideo streaming, as described herein. Among other things, an interactiveTV/VoD server may function as a server for STB/DVR 162A and/or STB/DVR162B, one or more of mobile devices 157A, 157B, 167A and 167B, and/or PC166 operating as a client for requesting and receiving a manifest filefor an adaptive bitrate streaming video program, as described herein.For example, STB/DVR 162A may present a user interface and receive oneor more inputs (e.g., via remote control 168A) for a selection of anadaptive bitrate streaming video program. STB/DVR 162A may request thevideo program from an interactive TV/VoD server, which may retrieve themanifest file for the video program from one or more of applicationservers 114 and provide the manifest file to STB/DVR 162A. STB/DVR 162Amay then obtain video chunks of video segments of the video program asidentified in the manifest file.

In one example, the manifest file may direct the STB/DVR 162A to obtainthe video chunks from edge server 174 in CDN 170. The edge server 174may already store the video chunks of the video program and may deliverthe video chunks upon a request from the STB/DVR 162A. However, if theedge server 174 does not already store the video chunks, upon requestfrom the STB/DVR 162A, the edge server 174 may in turn request the videochunks from an origin server. The origin server which stores chunks ofthe video program may comprise, for example, one of servers 149 or oneof TV servers 112. The chunks of the video program may be obtained froman origin server via ingest sever 172 before passing to edge server 174.In one example, the ingest server 172 may also pass the video chunks toother middle tier servers and/or other edge servers (not shown) of CDN170. The edge server 174 may then deliver the video chunks to theSTB/DVR 162A and may store the video chunks until the video chunks areremoved or overwritten from the edge server 174 according to any numberof criteria, such as a least recently used (LRU) algorithm fordetermining which content to keep in the edge server 174 and whichcontent to delete and/or overwrite.

It should be noted that a similar process may involve other devices,such as TV 163A or TV 163B (e.g., “smart” TVs), mobile devices 176A,167B, 157A or 157B obtaining a manifest file for a video program fromone of TV servers 112, from one of servers 149, etc., and requesting andobtaining video chunks of the video program from edge server 174 of CDN170. In this regard, it should be noted that edge server 174 maycomprise a server that is closest to the requesting devicegeographically or in terms of network latency, throughput, etc., orwhich may have more spare capacity to serve the requesting device ascompared to other edge servers, which may otherwise best serve the videoprogram to the requesting device, etc. However, depending upon thelocation of the requesting device, the access network utilized by therequesting device, and other factors, the chunks of the video programmay be delivered via various networks, various links, and/or variousintermediate devices. For instance, in one example, edge server 174 maydeliver video chunks to a requesting device in home network 160 viaaccess network 120, e.g., an ISP network. In another example, edgeserver 174 may deliver video chunks to a requesting device in homenetwork 160 via core network 110 and access network 120. In stillanother example, edge server 174 may deliver video chunks to arequesting device such as mobile device 157A or 157B via core network110 and wireless access network 150.

Further details regarding the functions that may be implemented by edgeserver 174, STBs/DVRs 162A and 162B, mobile devices 157A, 157B, 167A and167B, and/or PC 166 are discussed in greater detail below in connectionwith the examples of FIGS. 2-9. In addition, those skilled in the artwill realize that the network 100 may be implemented in a different formthan that which is illustrated in FIG. 1, or may be expanded byincluding additional endpoint devices, access networks, networkelements, application servers, etc. without altering the scope of thepresent disclosure. For example, core network 110 is not limited to anIMS network. Wireless access network 150 is not limited to a UMTS/UTRANconfiguration. Similarly, the present disclosure is not limited to anIP/MPLS network for VoIP telephony services, or any particular type ofbroadcast television network for providing television services, and soforth.

As mentioned above, in one example, the present disclosure features amain mapping function that uses a current video buffer level to decidethe next variant based on a linear function between bitrate and bufferoccupancy level. In addition, in one example, the main mapping functionis qualified by any one or more additional functions referred to hereinas a time-out function, a buffer offset function, and a startupfunction.

In one example, the mapping function is a linear function (or nearlinear function) between bitrates of each variant (addressed in themanifest file) and the current buffer occupancy level. FIG. 2 shows anexample rate map 200 for a stream with 7 variants. The rate map 200includes the mapping function 210. The vertical axis indicates thebitrate and the horizontal axis indicates the buffer occupancy level (inseconds). In the present example, the bitrates for the seven variantsare 300 kbps, 500 kbps, 700 kbps, 1000 kbps, 1500 kbps, 2300 kbps, and3700 kbps. In one example, hysteresis is applied to the mapping function200, e.g., in order to avoid rapid switching between bitrates when thebuffer occupancy level fluctuates. For example, the dotted line 220below the mapping function 200 indicates the hysteresis when moving upbitrate levels (when the buffer occupancy level is increasing).Similarly, the dotted line 230 above the mapping function 200 indicatesthe hysteresis when moving down bitrate levels (when the bufferoccupancy level is decreasing). The following parameters are used in themapping function:

Variant bitrates BR(1, . . . , N): The bitrate of each variant reportedin the manifest file, where “N” is the number of variants. In thepresent example, and as illustrated in FIG. 2 the stream includes sevenvariants (N=7).

Maximum buffer size: This value depends on several parameters such asdevice storage and acceptable latency in live streaming. In one example,the buffer size may be 30-60 seconds for live streaming and 2-3 minutesfor VoD streaming. In the example below, the maximum buffer size isselected to be 60 seconds.

Reservoir: To avoid any video interruption, there should be at least onesegment in the buffer before switching to any higher variant. To handlethis, a reservoir 240 is provided at the beginning of the rate map 200.In one example, the reservoir is one segment duration. For the examplebelow the reservoir is selected to be 10 seconds.

Cushion: The portion of the buffer between the reservoir and the pointwhere the buffer reaches the maximum is referred to as the cushion. Forthe example below the cushion is selected to be 40 seconds.

Switching Points, SW (1, . . . , N): During startup, the video clientparses the manifest file and obtains all of the variant bitrates. Basedon the values chosen for maximum buffer size, cushion and reservoir,switching points are calculated based on the following equation, whereSW (1) is the reservoir and SW (N) is the reservoir plus cushion:SW(1<k<N)=SW(1)+(SW(N)−SW(1))*(BR(K)−BR(1))/(BR(N)−BR(1)).  Equation 1:

The following switching points are calculated based on the followingvariant bitrates (reported in the manifest file) and the above equation:BR(1)=300, SW(1)=10; BR(2)=500, SW(2)=12.35; BR(3)=700, SW(3)=14.7;BR(4)=1000, SW(4)=18.23; BR(5)=1500, SW(5)=24.11; BR(6)=2300,SW(6)=33.52; BR(7)=3700, SW(7)=50. These values are also shown inmapping function 210 of FIG. 2.

Following the calculation of switching points, FIG. 3 illustrates aflowchart of a process 300 to decide the next variant based on thebuffer occupancy level. The process 300 may be performed by a videoclient, for example. The process 300 begins at operation 305 where a newchunk for a video segment is requested in accordance with a next variantnumber (Var_next). Initially, the current variant number (Var_now) andthe next variant number (Var_next) may be set to the lowest variantlevel (1). In subsequent iterations of the process 300, these variablesmay range anywhere between 1 and N (the highest variant level, which inthe present example is 7). At operation 310, the buffer level(Buffer_now) is updated after downloading the chunk for the segment.

At operation 320, the video client may determine whether the currentvariant number (Var_now) is at the highest available variant level (N).If “yes,” the process 300 may proceed to operation 350. Otherwise, if“no,” the process 300 may proceed to operation 330. At operation 330,the video client may determine whether the current buffer level(Buffer_now) is greater than or equal to the switching point for thenext variant higher (SW(Var_now+1) than the current variant number(SW(Var_now)). If “no,” the process 300 may proceed to operation 350.Otherwise, if “yes,” the process 300 may proceed to operation 340. Forease of reference, the switching points and corresponding bitratevariants/variant numbers are set forth in FIG. 3 at table 390. Atoperation 340, the next variant level is set to the variant one levelabove the current variant number (Var_now+1). The process 300 may thenreturn to operation 305 to request a new chunk for a video segment inaccordance with the next variant number (Var_next).

At operation 350, the video client may determine whether the currentvariant number (Var_now) is the lowest variant number (1). If “yes,” theprocess 300 may proceed to operation 380 where the next variant number(Var_next) is set to the current variant number (Var_now). In otherwords, the variant number remains unchanged. Following operation 380,the process 300 may return to operation 305. If at operation 350 it isdetermined that the current variant number (Var_now) is not the lowestvariant number (1), the process may proceed to operation 360. Atoperation 360, the video client may determine whether the bufferoccupancy level (Buffer_now) is less than or equal to the switchingpoint for the next lower variant (SW(Var_now−1)) below the currentvariant number (SW(Var_now)). If “no,” the process 300 may proceed tooperation 380. Otherwise, the process 300 may proceed to operation 370where the next variant level (Var_next) is set to a variant level onelevel below (Var_now−1) the current variant level (Var_now). Followingoperation 370, the process 300 may return to operation 305. The process300 may continue until the video is completed or the video client isturned off.

As described above, the main mapping function may be qualified by one ormore additional functions. A first such function is a time-out function.The mapping function decides the next variant based on the buffer levelafter the download of a chunk for a current segment is finished. Forvarious reasons, such as a large bandwidth drop, a long download time,etc., the mapping function may fail to react. After the download of achunk is completed, a large portion of buffer may be depleted. Inaddition, it may be too late to switch to a lower variant to avoid arebuffering event. The time-out function addresses this situation byinterrupting a download of a chunk if the download takes longer than atimeout threshold and switching to a lower variant. In one example, thetypical buffer size for live streaming is smaller than the typicalbuffer size for VoD streaming. Accordingly, examples of the presentdisclosure may include two different approaches for live and VoDstreaming.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a process 400 for a timeout function.The process 400 may be performed by a video client, for example. Theprocess 400 begins at operation 405 and proceeds to operation 410. Atoperation 410, the video client may determine whether the download timeexceeds a first timeout. The first timeout may be based upon the segmentduration and the buffer occupancy level. As shown in the respectivetables for live streaming (490) and for VoD (495), the first timeout(d1*Segment duration+b1*Buffer level) may be different in accordancewith the variables d1 and b1. For the example process 400, therespective variables/parameters for live streaming and for VoD streamingare illustrated in FIG. 4 in tables 490 and 495, respectively. When thedownload time does not exceed the first timeout, the process 400 mayproceed to a mapping function 420. In one example, the mapping function420 may comprise the operations of process 300 discussed above andillustrated in FIG. 3. In one example, the operations of process 400 mayreturn to the start 405, for a subsequent segment.

If at operation 410 it is determined that the download time exceeds thefirst timeout, the process 400 may proceed to operation 430. Atoperation 430, the video client may change the next variant number(Var_next) to a variant that is N1 variant levels lower than the currentvariant number (Var_now). For instance, in one example, for live videostreaming according to table 490, N1 is 3. Therefore, the next variantnumber may be three variant levels lower than the current variantnumber. If there are not three lower variant levels available, the videoclient may switch to the lowest available variant level (BR(1)). Inanother example, for VoD streaming, N1 is selected in accordance with anestimated bandwidth of the network between the video client and theserver. In one example, the estimated bandwidth may be calculated inaccordance with Equation 2:Estimated bandwidth=current variant bitrate*(portion of segmentduration)/timeout  Equation 2:

The current variant bandwidth may be found in table 390 of FIG. 3 (e.g.,in kbps). If information about the percentage of the segment (or moreparticularly a chunk of the current variant for the segment) downloadedbefore the first timeout is not available, the estimated bandwidth mayalternatively be calculated in accordance with Equation 3:Estimated bandwidth=current variant bitrate*segmentduration/timeout  Equation 3:

At operation 440, the video client may request from the server a newchunk for a next segment in accordance with the next variant number(Var_next). In addition, the video client may update the current variantnumber (Var_now) to be equivalent to the next variant number (Var_next)that was used for the request.

At operation 450, the video client may determine whether the downloadtime exceeds a second timeout. The second timeout may be based upon thesegment duration and the buffer occupancy level. As shown in therespective tables for live streaming (490) and for VoD (495), the secondtimeout (d2*Segment duration+b2*Buffer level) may be different inaccordance with the variables d2 and b2. For the example process 400,the respective variables/parameters for live streaming and for VoDstreaming are illustrated in FIG. 4 in tables 490 and 495, respectively.

When the download time does not exceed the second timeout, the process400 may proceed to mapping function 420 (e.g., the operations of process300 of FIG. 3). When the download time exceeds the first timeout, theprocess 400 may proceed to operation 460. At operation 460, the videoclient may change the next variant number (Var_next) to a variant thatis N2 variant levels lower than the current variant number (Var_now).For instance, in one example, for live video streaming according totable 490, N2 is 2. Therefore, the next variant number may be twovariant levels lower than the current variant number. If there are nottwo lower variant levels available, the video client may switch to thelowest available variant level (BR(1)). In another example, for VoDstreaming, N2 is selected in accordance with an estimated bandwidth ofthe network between the video client and the server. In one example, theestimated bandwidth may be calculated in accordance with Equation 2 orEquation 3 above. Following operation 460, the process 400 may return tooperation 440.

In one example, operations 450 and 460 may be substantially similar tothe operations 410 and 430, respectively, only with differentvariables/parameters. In particular, operations 450 and 460 may providefor additional drops in the variant bit-rate in the event that the dropsin the variant bit-rate provided via operations 410 and 430 is still notconsidered sufficient to address the circumstances causing the firsttimeout to be exceeded. It should be noted that the examples of tables490 and 495 are provided for illustrative purposes only. Thus, in other,further, and different examples, different variables/parameters may beimplemented for both live and/or VoD streaming. As just one example, N1for live streaming may be selected such that a bitrate for a nextvariant is at least a factor of 2 lower than the bitrate for a currentvariant, a factor of 2.25 lower, a factor of 2.75 lower, etc. Thus,depending upon the number of variant bitrate levels available and/or thebitrates of the different variants, the number of variant bitrate levelsto be dropped according to N1 may be different for differentimplementations. In another example, the timeout function for livestreaming may utilize an estimated bandwidth, similar to the exampledescribed above with respect to VoD streaming. Thus, these and othermodifications are all contemplated within the scope of the presentdisclosure. The process 400 may continue until the video is completed orthe video client is turned off.

A second function qualifying the main mapping function is a bufferoffset function. When the network bandwidth is stable and is lower thanthe highest variant bit-rate, the buffer usage is not efficient andremains lower than the maximum. For example, if the network bandwidth isstable between the bitrates of the second and third highest variants,the buffer level remains between the switching points of the second andthird highest variants. The buffer offset function enables the bufferoccupancy level to increase without switching to the higher variant whenthe network bandwidth is stable. In one example, the bandwidth isestimated in accordance with Equation 4:Estimated bandwidth=current variant bitrate*segment duration/downloadtime  Equation 4:

In one example, if the estimated bandwidth is between a current variantbit-rate and a next higher variant bit-rate, it is considered a stablecondition, and a video client may add some offset to the switching pointbetween the two variants to avoid switching. In one example, the offsetmay be calculated in accordance with Equation 5:Buffer offset=segment duration−download time  Equation 5:

Referring again to FIG. 2, an example may involve a current variantbeing variant 5, and with the estimated bandwidth being 1700 kbps, whichis between the bitrates for variants 5 and 6 (where BR(5)=1500 kbps andBR(6)=2300 kbps according to table 390 of FIG. 3). In one example, theperiod of time over which the network bandwidth is considered “stable”may be a plurality of segments. For instance, where the estimatedbandwidth remains between two variant bitrate levels for three segments,it may be considered a stable condition and the buffer offset may thenbe applied. However, in another example, the period of time over whichthe network bandwidth is considered “stable” may be a single segment. Inaddition, in one example, the estimated bandwidth may be for a singlevariant/chunk.

The application of a buffer offset is illustrated by arrows 240 in FIG.2. For instance, the nominal switching point between variant 5 (1500kbps) and variant 6 (2300 kbps) moving up may be a buffer occupancylevel of 33.52 seconds (see table 390 of FIG. 3). Without the bufferoffset function, if the buffer occupancy level is 34 seconds, the videoclient may switch to the higher variant, variant 6. However, withestimated network bandwidth remaining stable at 1700 kbps, the bufferoccupancy level will fall, since the bitrate for variant 6 is 2300 kpbsand the network bandwidth is only 1700 kbps. When the buffer occupancyfalls below 24.11 seconds (SW(5) in table 390 of FIG. 3), the videoclient may then switch to the lower variant (variant 5). With theestimated network bandwidth remaining stable at 1700 kbps, the bufferoccupancy level will rise, since the bitrate for variant 5 is 1500 kbpsand the network bandwidth is 1700 kbps. Thus, the video client maycontinue to cycle between variant bitrate levels 5 and 6. In addition,the buffer occupancy may not increase to its capacity, e.g., 60 secondsas illustrated in the example of FIG. 2.

With the buffer offset function, when the network bandwidth is stablethe switching point (e.g., SW(6) in the present example) may beincreased to a greater buffer occupancy level, the result being that thevideo client may continue to select variants at an available variantbitrate level just below the estimated network bandwidth and the bufferoccupancy may increase to capacity. In one example, for each time period(e.g., one segment, or a plurality of segments) for which the bandwidthremains stable (between the same variant bitrate levels), the bufferoffset function may increase the switching point (e.g., per Equation 5).Thus, the switching point may be increased in increments to a maximum ofthe maximum buffer size. FIG. 2 illustrates additional arrows 250 whichmay indicate a buffer offset in another example where the networkbandwidth may be stable at 1200 kbps (between variant 4 (1000 kbps) andvariant 5 (1500 kbps)). For instance, SW(4) may be increased perEquation 5. It should be noted that Equation 5 is just one example ofhow the switching point may be increased. For instance, in anotherexample, the switching point may be increased in accordance with a fixedoffset (e.g., for each time period over which the bandwidth isconsidered stable, increase the switching point by 2 seconds of bufferoccupancy, 3 seconds of buffer occupancy, etc.). In another example, theswitching point may be increased by a value that is 0.5 seconds lessthan a buffer offset calculated according to Equation 5, 0.25 secondsless than such a buffer offset, and so forth. Thus, these and othermodifications are all contemplated within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Another function qualifying the main mapping function is a startupfunction. The startup function accounts for several preferences, such asa viewer preference for a short start time, a preference to avoid videopause/rebuffering, and a preference for higher quality video. In thepresent startup function, startup times are kept to a maximum of a fewseconds. In addition, the startup function aims to fill the bufferquickly to avoid any possible video pause. Lastly, it is consideredacceptable to start with low quality video but the startup function aimsto switch to higher video quality quickly.

In one example, the startup function may have different implementationsfor live streaming and VoD streaming, respectively. For instance, forlive streaming, in one example it is assumed that the CDN cache (e.g.,an edge server cache) is one minute. In other words, content from oneminute in the past is available from the video server. In one example,the video client may request two segments of the second lowest variantfrom one minute in the past and estimate the bandwidth by averaging twoestimated bandwidths, e.g., in accordance with Equation 6:Estimated bandwidth=second variant bandwidth*(m*segment1duration/download time+(1−m)*segment2 duration/download time)  Equation6:

In one example, “m” may be 0.5. In another example, “m” may be selectedto give a greater weighting to the more recent of the two segments,e.g., 0.6, 0.75, etc. In one example, the startup function may comprisethe video client selecting the highest variant below the estimatedbandwidth to initially fill the buffer. In one example, the video clientmay start playing the video when the buffer is filled to at least athreshold buffer occupancy. For instance, in one example, the video maystart when the buffer is at least 6 seconds filled, 8 seconds filled, 10seconds filled, 12 seconds filled, etc.

For VoD streaming a slightly different approach may be implemented inone example. For instance, the video client may request as many segmentsfrom the second lowest variant as necessary to make the buffer full.Then, the video client may follow the main mapping function (e.g.,process 300 of FIG. 3) to find the next variant. In one example, thevideo client may begin playing the video when the buffer is filled to atleast a threshold buffer occupancy. For instance, in one example, thevideo may start when the buffer is at least 6 seconds filled, 8 secondsfilled, 10 seconds filled, 12 seconds filled, etc. In one example, thevideo player may implement a shorter threshold for VoD streaming thanfor live streaming. In addition, in one example, for VoD content, thedurations of the first few segment durations are made shorter thansegments for the remainder of the video program to enable faster startupplayback.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method 500 for providing a timeoutfor an adaptive bitrate streaming video chunk download, in accordancewith the present disclosure. In one example, the method 500 is performedby a client device comprising a video client, e.g., STB/DVR 162A,STB/DVR 162B, one of the TVs 163A and 163B, PC 166, one of the mobiledevices 157A, 157B, 167A, or 167B, and so forth, or any one morecomponents thereof, such as a processing system, or by one of thesedevices in conjunction with other devices and/or components of network100 of FIG. 1. In one example, the steps, functions, or operations ofmethod 500 may be performed by a computing device or system 900, and/ora processing system 902 as described in connection with FIG. 9 below.For instance, the computing device 900 may represent any one or morecomponents of a client device that is/are configured to perform thesteps, functions and/or operations of the method 500. For illustrativepurposes, the method 500 is described in greater detail below inconnection with an example performed by a processing system, such asprocessing system 902. The method 500 begins in step 505 and proceeds tooptional step 510 or to step 520.

At optional step 510, the processing system may receive a manifest filefor the video program. In one example, the manifest file identifies aplurality of video chunks associated with a plurality of segments of thevideo program in accordance with an adaptive bitrate streaming protocol.The plurality of video chunks may include at least a first video chunkand a second video chunk for at least one segment of a plurality ofsegments of the video program. In one example, for each of the pluralityof segments, the associated plurality of video chunks includes videochunks encoded at a plurality of different available bitrates. In oneexample, a uniform resource locator (URL) for the first video chunk anda uniform resource locator for the second video chunk are identified inthe manifest file. For instance, the URL for the first video chunk andthe URL for the second video chunk are both associated with an edgeserver of a content distribution network (CDN).

At step 520, the processing system determines a first bitrate for afirst segment of a video program based upon an occupancy level of avideo buffer of the device. In one example, the first bitrate isdetermined in accordance with a mapping function of buffer occupancylevels to a plurality of available bitrates. For instance, step 520 maycomprise operations in accordance with the process 300.

At step 530, the processing system requests a first video chunk of thefirst segment encoded at the first bitrate. In one example, the firstvideo chunk is requested from an edge server in accordance with themanifest file that may be received at optional step 510.

At step 540, the processing system determines that the video chunk isnot received within a threshold duration of time since the requesting ofthe video chunk. In one example, the threshold (or “timeout”) may be inaccordance with operation 410 of the process 400 described above. Forexample, the threshold may be based upon the segment duration and thebuffer occupancy level. In one example, the threshold (timeout) is basedupon d1*Segment duration+b1*Buffer level, where d1 and b1 may vary forVoD and live streaming application. For instance, the respective tables490 and 495 of FIG. 4 provide example variables parameters for d1 and b1for live streaming and for VoD streaming, respectively.

At step 550, the processing system requests a second video chunk of thefirst segment encoded at a second bitrate that is lower than the firstbitrate. In one example, the second bitrate is at least two availablebitrates lower than the first bitrate. In one example, the secondbitrate is one of the plurality of available bitrates that is downscaledfrom the first bitrate by at least a factor of 2. In one example, step550 may comprise operations in accordance with operations 430 and 440 ofthe process 400 described above. In one example, the second video chunkis requested from an edge server in accordance with the manifest filethat may be received at optional step 510. In one example, therequesting the first video chunk at step 520 and the requesting thesecond video chunk at step 550 may comprise sending a message inaccordance with a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) head method.

At optional step 560, the processing system may receive the second videochunk. At optional step 570, the processing system may write the secondvideo chunk to the video buffer. In addition, at optional step 580, theprocessing system may play out the second video chunk from the videobuffer via the device.

Following step 550, or one of optional steps 560-580, the method 500proceeds to step 595 where the method ends.

It should be noted that the method 500 may be expanded to includeadditional iterations with respect to subsequent segments of the videoprogram. In addition, in one example, the method 500 may includeadditional steps in accordance with operations 440-460 of the process400. For instance, the processing system may further drop the bitratefor the segment if the second bitrate of step 550 is not sufficient andthe lower bitrate chunk/segment is not received with a second thresholdperiod of time.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method 600 for increasing a bufferoccupancy threshold of an adaptive bitrate streaming mapping function,in accordance with the present disclosure. In one example, the method600 is performed by a client device comprising a video client, e.g.,STB/DVR 162A, STB/DVR 162B, one of the TVs 163A and 163B, PC 166, one ofthe mobile devices 157A, 157B, 167A, or 167B, and so forth, or any onemore components thereof, such as a processing system, or by one of thesedevices in conjunction with other devices and/or components of network100 of FIG. 1. In one example, the steps, functions, or operations ofmethod 600 may be performed by a computing device or system 900, and/ora processing system 902 as described in connection with FIG. 9 below.For instance, the computing device 900 may represent any one or morecomponents of a client device that is/are configured to perform thesteps, functions and/or operations of the method 600. For illustrativepurposes, the method 600 is described in greater detail below inconnection with an example performed by a processing system, such asprocessing system 902. The method 600 begins in step 605 and proceeds tooptional step 610 or to step 620.

At optional step 610, the processing system may determine a firstbitrate for a first segment of a video program based upon an occupancylevel of a video buffer (e.g., of a device of the processing system) inaccordance with a mapping function. As referred to herein, the term“first” is used simply as a label and does not imply that a segment orchunk necessarily relates to a beginning segment of a video program.

At step 620, the processing system obtains the first video chunk of thefirst segment of the video program via a network link. The first videochunk may be encoded at a first bitrate of a plurality of availablebitrates for segments of the video program in accordance with a mappingfunction of buffer occupancy levels to the plurality of availablebitrates. In one example, the first bitrate for the first segment of thevideo program is determined based upon an occupancy level of a videobuffer of the device in accordance with the mapping function at optionalstep 610 or step 620. For instance, the mapping function includes aplurality of video buffer occupancy level thresholds (switching points)for selecting, for a current segment of the video program, a next higheravailable bitrate from a bitrate for a previous segment of the videoprogram (e.g., when the video buffer occupancy level exceeds arespective one of the thresholds).

At step 630, the processing system determines a bandwidth of the networklink based upon the first bitrate, a length of the first segment, and anelapsed time to receive the first video chunk via the network link. Forinstance, in one example, step 630 may comprise estimating the bandwidthof the network link according to Equation 4 above.

At step 640, the processing system determines that the bandwidth of thenetwork link is between two of the plurality of available bitrates. Forinstance, the plurality of available bitrates may be known in advance tothe processing system according to an ABR streaming system design, ormay be determined by the processing system from a manifest file for thevideo program which may indicate the available bitrates.

At step 650, the processing system increases a buffer occupancythreshold of the mapping function for switching to a higher one of thetwo of the plurality of available bitrates when it is determined thatthe bandwidth of the network link is between the two of the plurality ofavailable bitrates. The buffer occupancy threshold may comprise aswitching point as described above in connection with the examples ofFIGS. 2 and 3. The switching points may be calculated by the processingsystem in accordance with the available bitrate variants and the size ofthe video buffer, or may be provided in the manifest file.

At optional step 660, the processing system may obtain a second videochunk of the second segment of the video program via the network link,where the second video chunk is encoded at the first bitrate of theplurality of available bitrates in accordance with the mapping function.For instance, the increase of the buffer occupancy threshold when thebandwidth is stable may result in the selection of a chunk/variant at asame encoding bitrate for a next segment. In one example, the firstbitrate for the second segment is selected based upon the occupancylevel of the video buffer of the device in accordance with the mappingfunction. In one example, the operations of optional step 660 maycomprise the same or substantially similar operations as step 620described above.

At optional step 670, the processing system may determine the bandwidthof the network link from the first bitrate, a length of the secondsegment, and an elapsed time to receive the second video chunk via thenetwork link. In one example, the operations of optional step 670 maycomprise the same or substantially similar operations as step 630described above.

At optional step 680, the processing system may determine that thebandwidth of the network link remains between the two of the pluralityof available bitrates. In one example, the operations of optional step680 may comprise the same or substantially similar operations as step640 described above.

At optional step 690, the processing system may increase the bufferoccupancy threshold of the mapping function for switching to the higherone of the two of the plurality of available bitrates when it isdetermined that the bandwidth of the network link remains between thetwo of the plurality of available bitrates. In one example, theoperations of optional step 690 may comprise the same or substantiallysimilar operations as step 650 described above.

Following step 650, or one of optional steps 660-690, the method 600proceeds to step 695 where the method ends. It should be noted that themethod 600 may continue through additional cycles of downloadingchunks/variants for subsequent segments. For instance, steps 620-650 maycomprise a first iteration while optional steps 660-690 describedoperations in connection with a second iteration.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method 700 for filling an adaptivebitrate streaming video buffer for live video streaming, in accordancewith the present disclosure. In one example, the method 700 is performedby a client device comprising a video client, e.g., STB/DVR 162A,STB/DVR 162B, one of the TVs 163A and 163B, PC 166, one of the mobiledevices 157A, 157B, 167A, or 167B, and so forth, or any one morecomponents thereof, such as a processing system, or by one of thesedevices in conjunction with other devices and/or components of network100 of FIG. 1. In one example, the steps, functions, or operations ofmethod 700 may be performed by a computing device or system 900, and/ora processing system 902 as described in connection with FIG. 9 below.For instance, the computing device 900 may represent any one or morecomponents of a client device that is/are configured to perform thesteps, functions and/or operations of the method 700. For illustrativepurposes, the method 700 is described in greater detail below inconnection with an example performed by a processing system, such asprocessing system 902. The method 700 begins in step 705 and proceeds tostep 710.

At step 710, the processing system requests, from an edge server, afirst video chunk for a first segment of a video program and a secondvideo chunk for a second segment of the video program, where the firstvideo chunk and the second video chunk are stored in a cache of the edgeserver. In one example, the first video chunk and the second video chunkthat are requested are encoded at a testing bitrate comprising a secondlowest available bitrate of a plurality of available bitrates inaccordance with an adaptive bitrate streaming protocol.

At step 720, the processing system receives the first video chunk andthe second video chunk from the edge server via a network link. Itshould be noted that the method 700 may be for live video streaming.However, the first video chunk and the second video chunk may beassociated with a segment for a past time period. For instance, if theedge server has a 1 minute cache, the first video chunk and the secondvideo chunk may be for segments that are from 1 minute in the past andfrom 1 minute-1 segment duration in the past, from 30 seconds in thepast and 30 seconds-1 segment duration in the past, etc. In one example,the first video chunk and the second video chunk are for segments havingadjacent/contiguous time slots in the past. In another example, thefirst video chunk and the second video chunk are for segments havingnon-adjacent/non-contiguous time slots in the past.

At step 730, the processing system determines a bandwidth of the networklink based upon the testing bitrate, a duration of the first videochunk, a duration of the second video chunk, and an elapsed time toreceive the first video chunk and the second video chunk. For instance,step 730 may comprise estimating the bandwidth in accordance withEquation 6 above.

At step 740, the processing system requests a third video chunk for athird segment of the video program encoded at a highest availablebitrate below the bandwidth of the network link. It should be noted thatthe third video chunk may be for live video e.g., a segment for thecurrent or present time period.

At optional step 750, the processing system may receive the third videochunk from the edge server. The edge server may already possess thethird video chunk and/or may receive the third video chunk from aningest server or one or more middle tier servers.

At optional step 760, the processing system may write the third videochunk to a video buffer of the device. The video buffer may comprise aportion of a memory that is integrated or attached to a device of theprocessing system and that is reserved or available for writing in andreading out video chunks.

At optional step 770, the processing system may play out the third videochunk from the video buffer via the device when an occupancy level ofthe video buffer exceeds a threshold. The threshold may comprise, forexample, 6 seconds filled, 8 seconds filled, 10 seconds filled, 12seconds filled, etc.

At optional step 780, the processing system may select a next videochunk for a segment of the video program after the third segment inaccordance with a mapping function. In other words, after a startupprocess, the processing system may select subsequent segments accordingto the process 300 above, the process 300 in combination with a timeoutfunction of the process 400 and/or of the method 500, the process 300 incombination with a buffer offset function of the method 600, and so on.

Following step 740, or one of optional steps 750-780, the method 700proceeds to step 795 where the method ends.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method 800 for filling an adaptivebitrate streaming video buffer for recorded video streaming (e.g., VoD),in accordance with the present disclosure. In one example, the method700 is performed by a client device comprising a video client, e.g.,STB/DVR 162A, STB/DVR 162B, one of the TVs 163A and 163B, PC 166, one ofthe mobile devices 157A, 157B, 167A, or 167B, and so forth, or any onemore components thereof, such as a processing system, or by one of thesedevices in conjunction with other devices and/or components of network100 of FIG. 1. In one example, the steps, functions, or operations ofmethod 800 may be performed by a computing device or system 900, and/ora processing system 902 as described in connection with FIG. 9 below.For instance, the computing device 900 may represent any one or morecomponents of a client device that is/are configured to perform thesteps, functions and/or operations of the method 800. For illustrativepurposes, the method 800 is described in greater detail below inconnection with an example performed by a processing system, such asprocessing system 902. The method 800 begins in step 805 and proceeds tostep 810.

At step 810, the processing system requests, from an edge server, aplurality of video chunks for a plurality of segments of a video programto fill a video buffer of the device. In one example, the plurality ofvideo chunks are encoded at a startup bitrate comprising a second lowestavailable bitrate of a plurality of available bitrates in accordancewith an adaptive bitrate streaming protocol.

At step 820, the processing system receives, from the edge server, theplurality of video chunks. In one example, the durations of the firstfew segments (and hence the video chunks for the first few segments) aremade shorter than for the remainder of the video program to enablefaster startup playback.

At step 830, the processing system writes the plurality of video chunksto the video buffer. The video buffer may comprise a portion of a memorythat is integrated or attached to a device of the processing system andthat is reserved or available for writing in and reading out videochunks.

At step 840, the processing system plays out the plurality of videochunks from the video buffer via the device when an occupancy level ofthe video buffer exceeds a threshold. The threshold may comprise, forexample, 6 seconds filled, 8 seconds filled, 10 seconds filled, 12seconds filled, etc.

At step 850, the processing system selects a next video chunk for asegment of the video program after the plurality of segments inaccordance with a mapping function. In other words, after a startupprocess, the processing system may select subsequent segments accordingto the process 300 above, the process 300 in combination with a timeoutfunction of the process 400 and/or of the method 500, the process 300 incombination with a buffer offset function of the method 600, and so on.

Following step 850, the method 800 proceeds to step 895 where the methodends.

In addition, although not expressly specified above, one or more stepsof the method 500, method 600, method 700, or method 800 may include astoring, displaying and/or outputting step as required for a particularapplication. In other words, any data, records, fields, and/orintermediate results discussed in the method can be stored, displayedand/or outputted to another device as required for a particularapplication. Furthermore, operations, steps, or blocks in FIGS. 5-8 thatrecite a determining operation or involve a decision do not necessarilyrequire that both branches of the determining operation be practiced. Inother words, one of the branches of the determining operation can bedeemed as an optional step. Furthermore, operations, steps or blocks ofthe above described method(s) can be combined, separated, and/orperformed in a different order from that described above, withoutdeparting from the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 depicts a high-level block diagram of a computing device orprocessing system specifically programmed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. For example, any one or more components or devicesillustrated in FIG. 1 or described in connection with the method 500,method 600, method 700, or method 800 may be implemented as the system900. As depicted in FIG. 9, the processing system 900 comprises one ormore hardware processor elements 902 (e.g., a central processing unit(CPU), a microprocessor, or a multi-core processor), a memory 904 (e.g.,random access memory (RAM) and/or read only memory (ROM)), a module 905for providing a timeout for an adaptive bitrate streaming video chunkdownload, increasing a buffer occupancy threshold of an adaptive bitratestreaming mapping function, and/or for filling an adaptive bitratestreaming video buffer for live or recorded video streaming, and variousinput/output devices 906 (e.g., storage devices, including but notlimited to, a tape drive, a floppy drive, a hard disk drive or a compactdisk drive, a receiver, a transmitter, a speaker, a display, a speechsynthesizer, an output port, an input port and a user input device (suchas a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a microphone and the like)). Inaccordance with the present disclosure input/output devices 906 may alsoinclude antenna elements, transceivers, power units, and so forth.Although only one processor element is shown, it should be noted thatthe computing device may employ a plurality of processor elements.Furthermore, although only one computing device is shown in the figure,if the method 500, method 600, method 700, or method 800 as discussedabove is implemented in a distributed or parallel manner for aparticular illustrative example, i.e., the steps of the above method500, method 600, method 700, or method 800, or the entire method 500,method 600, method 700, or method 800 is implemented across multiple orparallel computing devices, e.g., a processing system, then thecomputing device of this figure is intended to represent each of thosemultiple computing devices.

Furthermore, one or more hardware processors can be utilized insupporting a virtualized or shared computing environment. Thevirtualized computing environment may support one or more virtualmachines representing computers, servers, or other computing devices. Insuch virtualized virtual machines, hardware components such as hardwareprocessors and computer-readable storage devices may be virtualized orlogically represented. The hardware processor 902 can also be configuredor programmed to cause other devices to perform one or more operationsas discussed above. In other words, the hardware processor 902 may servethe function of a central controller directing other devices to performthe one or more operations as discussed above.

It should be noted that the present disclosure can be implemented insoftware and/or in a combination of software and hardware, e.g., usingapplication specific integrated circuits (ASIC), a programmable gatearray (PGA) including a Field PGA, or a state machine deployed on ahardware device, a computing device or any other hardware equivalents,e.g., computer readable instructions pertaining to the method discussedabove can be used to configure a hardware processor to perform thesteps, functions and/or operations of the above disclosed method 500,method 600, method 700, and/or method 800. In one example, instructionsand data for the present module or process 905 for providing a timeoutfor an adaptive bitrate streaming video chunk download, increasing abuffer occupancy threshold of an adaptive bitrate streaming mappingfunction, and/or for filling an adaptive bitrate streaming video bufferfor live or recorded video streaming (e.g., a software programcomprising computer-executable instructions) can be loaded into memory904 and executed by hardware processor element 902 to implement thesteps, functions, or operations as discussed above in connection withthe illustrative method 500, method 600, method 700, and/or method 800.Furthermore, when a hardware processor executes instructions to perform“operations,” this could include the hardware processor performing theoperations directly and/or facilitating, directing, or cooperating withanother hardware device or component (e.g., a co-processor and the like)to perform the operations.

The processor executing the computer readable or software instructionsrelating to the above described method can be perceived as a programmedprocessor or a specialized processor. As such, the present module 905for providing a timeout for an adaptive bitrate streaming video chunkdownload, increasing a buffer occupancy threshold of an adaptive bitratestreaming mapping function, and/or for filling an adaptive bitratestreaming video buffer for live or recorded video streaming (includingassociated data structures) of the present disclosure can be stored on atangible or physical (broadly non-transitory) computer-readable storagedevice or medium, e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory, ROMmemory, RAM memory, magnetic or optical drive, device or diskette, andthe like. Furthermore, a “tangible” computer-readable storage device ormedium comprises a physical device, a hardware device, or a device thatis discernible by the touch. More specifically, the computer-readablestorage device may comprise any physical devices that provide theability to store information such as data and/or instructions to beaccessed by a processor or a computing device such as a computer or anapplication server.

While various examples have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of illustration only,and not a limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of any aspect of thepresent disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-describedexamples, but should be defined only in accordance with the followingclaims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising: a processor; and acomputer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed bythe processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operationscomprising: requesting, from an edge server, a plurality of video chunksfor a plurality of segments of a video program to fill a video buffer ofthe device, wherein the plurality of video chunks is encoded at astartup bitrate comprising a second lowest available bitrate of aplurality of available bitrates in accordance with an adaptive bitratestreaming protocol; receiving, from the edge server, the plurality ofvideo chunks; writing the plurality of video chunks to the video buffer;playing out the plurality of video chunks from the video buffer via thedevice when an occupancy level of the video buffer exceeds a threshold;and selecting a next video chunk for a next segment of the video programafter the plurality of segments in accordance with a mapping function.2. The device of claim 1, wherein the mapping function associates aplurality of buffer occupancy levels to the plurality of availablebitrates.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of videochunks is requested in accordance with a manifest file for the videoprogram, wherein the manifest file associates the plurality of videochunks with the plurality of segments of the video program in accordancewith the adaptive bitrate streaming protocol.
 4. The device of claim 3,wherein for each of the plurality of segments, the manifest fileidentifies associated video chunks encoded at the plurality of availablebitrates.
 5. The device of claim 3, wherein a uniform resource locatorfor each of the plurality of video chunks is identified in the manifestfile, wherein the uniform resource locator for each of the plurality ofvideo chunks is associated with the edge server.
 6. The device of claim5, wherein the plurality of video chunks is requested from the edgeserver in accordance with the manifest file.
 7. The device of claim 1,wherein the edge server comprises an edge server of a contentdistribution network.
 8. A method comprising: requesting, by aprocessing system including at least one processor, from an edge server,a plurality of video chunks for a plurality of segments of a videoprogram to fill a video buffer, wherein the plurality of video chunks isencoded at a startup bitrate comprising a second lowest availablebitrate of a plurality of available bitrates in accordance with anadaptive bitrate streaming protocol; receiving, by the processing systemfrom the edge server, the plurality of video chunks; writing, by theprocessing system, the plurality of video chunks to the video buffer;playing out, by the processing system, the plurality of video chunksfrom the video buffer when an occupancy level of the video bufferexceeds a threshold; and selecting, by the processing system, a nextvideo chunk for a next segment of the video program after the pluralityof segments in accordance with a mapping function.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the mapping function associates a plurality of bufferoccupancy levels to the plurality of available bitrates.
 10. The methodof claim 8, wherein the plurality of video chunks is requested inaccordance with a manifest file for the video program, wherein themanifest file associates the plurality of video chunks with theplurality of segments of the video program in accordance with theadaptive bitrate streaming protocol.
 11. The method of claim 10, whereinfor each of the plurality of segments, the manifest file identifiesassociated video chunks encoded at the plurality of available bitrates.12. The method of claim 10, wherein a uniform resource locator for eachof the plurality of video chunks is identified in the manifest file,wherein the uniform resource locator for each of the plurality of videochunks is associated with the edge server.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the plurality of video chunks is requested from the edge serverin accordance with the manifest file.
 14. The method of claim 8, whereinthe edge server comprises an edge server of a content distributionnetwork.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storinginstructions which, when executed by a processing system including atleast one processor, cause the processing system to perform operations,the operations comprising: requesting, from an edge server, a pluralityof video chunks for a plurality of segments of a video program to fill avideo buffer, wherein the plurality of video chunks is encoded at astartup bitrate comprising a second lowest available bitrate of aplurality of available bitrates in accordance with an adaptive bitratestreaming protocol; receiving, from the edge server, the plurality ofvideo chunks; writing the plurality of video chunks to the video buffer;playing out the plurality of video chunks from the video buffer when anoccupancy level of the video buffer exceeds a threshold; and selecting anext video chunk for a next segment of the video program after theplurality of segments in accordance with a mapping function.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the mappingfunction associates a plurality of buffer occupancy levels to theplurality of available bitrates.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of videochunks is requested in accordance with a manifest file for the videoprogram, wherein the manifest file associates the plurality of videochunks with the plurality of segments of the video program in accordancewith the adaptive bitrate streaming protocol.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein for each of the pluralityof segments, the manifest file identifies associated video chunksencoded at the plurality of available bitrates.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein a uniform resource locatorfor each of the plurality of video chunks is identified in the manifestfile, wherein the uniform resource locator for each of the plurality ofvideo chunks is associated with the edge server.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the plurality of videochunks is requested from the edge server in accordance with the manifestfile.